Now that the Ebola epidemic in West Africa is diminishing, it is a good time to reflect on the meaning of this global health crisis. On the one hand, an immediate response to the spread of the disease was fear, a reaction increased by the media coverage of the epidemic. On the other, some individuals reacted with heroism and courage; it was this response that ultimately brought the epidemic under control. Drawing on her personal experiences in Sierra Leone, our speaker will share some of the stories of the heroes, past and present, who have fought Ebola.

Professor Claudena Skran teaches African politics and international relations at Lawrence University. An Appleton resident since 1990, she first went to Sierra Leone as a Fulbright scholar to study humanitarian assistance project for refugees in 2005. The author of a United Nations report on refugees in Sierra Leone, Prof. Skran has taken over 60 students to the country as volunteers and researchers since then. She is also the founder of Kidsgive, a scholarship program for children in Sierra Leone.

Music: Donna Russell
Service Leader: Carrie Link